ALBANY — Lawmakers appear to be turning the dimmer switch on Gov. Andrew Cuomo's plans to increase policing and penalties for utility companies that don't perform adequately after power outages.

While the governor is heeding a special commission he created that has called companies like National Grid and Consolidated Edison "natural monopolies," lawmakers on both sides of the aisle believe Cuomo has either gone too far or moved too fast in developing sanctions for companies that can't restore power after a storm.

A leading assemblyman said he believes some of the regulatory weight was misdirected, while the chair of the Senate Energy committee said it should deal with the new regulations after the budget is completed. Assembly members offered a softer version of the bill, while Senate Republicans left it out entirely in their budget proposal.

"I think it's something that we want to take maybe a closer look at," western New York GOP Sen. George Maziarz said, who also said he agrees with Cuomo that tougher regulations are needed. But the governor's proposal "was kind of all-inclusive," Maziarz said, and encompasses upstate gas companies, cable TV providers and phone companies that were unaffected by the recent storms that ravaged the state.

Following Superstorm Sandy last fall, and after tropical storms Irene and Lee in 2011, Cuomo created the Moreland Act Commission to examine utilities' readiness and response to the storms. (The century-old Moreland Act allows the governor to create special panels to investigate government operations and industries.)

The commission made some early recommendations that Cuomo took to heart in his 2013-2014 budget proposal.

Among the proposals in the governor's bill: potential fines that could run to 0.02 percent of a company's gross annual revenue for each day the power is out; punishing companies even if they didn't "know" of a problem; and instituting sweeping powers to order audits of utility companies.

The higher fines would be substantial; they are currently limited to $100,000 per day. The 0.02 percent would translate to $750,000 per day for National Grid and $2 million per day for ConEd, according to the Moreland Commission.

In its preliminary findings, the Moreland Commission said it took up to 21 days for power in some places to be restored after Sandy. Some 2 million people were affected.

The Cuomo administration so far is sticking to its tough stance. "The governor was unsatisfied by the performance of the utility during Sandy, Irene and Lee, and the current penalties have no teeth to incentivize better performance," said Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi. "We're tired of the people having to pay for poor performance by utility companies. These companies and their shareholders need to know that they will be held accountable."